WEST YELLOWSTONE- This morning the DOL hazed with snowmobiles and captured over 60
buffalo in their new capture facility on Horse Butte. Yesterday our volunteers counted 63
bison grazing on the spring exposed slopes next to the newly constructed buffalo trap on
the Gallatin National Forest. Today's capture brings the total number of buffalo captured
this year to over 100.

Molly Karp, 17, of New York used handcuffs and James Blakely, 19, used a steel pipe
lockbox to lock themselves to a cattle guard on Forest Service Road 610 in an attempt to
prevent the capture of more buffalo on Horse Butte. Allison Lovejoy, 21, of Missoula, was
arrested as she stood on the road and watched the arrest. Jeremy O'Day, 22, of Missoula,
was arrested on Horse Butte as he drove a snowmobile. Robert Laitman was also arrested as
he stood on the FS road 610. No charges have been brought at this time.

More then twenty law enforcement officers from the DOL, Forest Service, Montana Highway
Patrol, and Gallatin County Sheriff's office were on hand to assist with the capture
operation.

"Despite the inaccuracy of their testing process and the inability of these
buffalo to transmit brucellosis, these agencies continue to waste taxpayer money on the
capture and slaughter of America's last wild herd of buffalo," said Pete Leusch,
Buffalo Field Campaign spokesperson.

The U.S. Forest Service issued a warning to the Montana Department of Livestock this
week for hazing buffalo in closed eagle habitat on March 31. Despite this warning, DOL
agents entered these areas again today to round up buffalo.

Along with being a key area in winter migration for Yellowstone bison, Horse Butte is
critical habitat for threatened bald eagles. In an attempt to protect nesting sites the
Forest Service added restrictions to the DOL's permit allowing them to operate their bison
trap used to capture and test bison leaving Yellowstone National Park.

This spring, hundreds of buffalo have left the park in search of forage after the long
winter of deep snow. Horse Butte is critical winter range for the Yellowstone buffalo.
Warm south-facing slopes of the Butte provide the most plentiful available forage for
migrating buffalo.

In a separate incident this morning at 2:15 a.m., as four Buffalo Field Campaign
volunteers were walking in the Horse Butte area of the Gallatin National Forest, they were
illegally detained by Department of Livestock agents. One volunteer, Zacharie Quin, age
25, was tackled, yelled at with obscene language, and forced to the ground by DOL agents
although he did nothing to resist arrest. After being detained for over an hour Quin was
cited and released. He was told he would be formally charged with conspiracy to engage in
a possibly violent protest and trespassing. After being questioned and photographed by Rob
Burns, Gallatin County Sheriff, all 4 were released.

"When I asked what I was being charged with, a DOL officer said, 'doing stuff in
that road'. I informed him truthfully that I had not done anything in 'that road'. I
obviously could not have done anything as I had not been able to go down the road, due to
being tackled," Quin said.

Tuesday DOL Hazing Operation Foiled

Two DOL agents on snowmobiles fired cracker barrel shots frightening four buffalo out
of Red Canyon and down Highway 287 towards their Duck Creek Facility at 4 p.m. Tuesday
afternoon.

Twelve activists from the Buffalo Field Campaign were at the scene and responded
quickly when bison jumped off the road and ran up a hill into U.S. Forest Service land.
Activists put themselves between the buffalo and the snowmobiles preventing the DOL from
chasing the bison back to the highway. They shepherded the buffalo into a wooded area
where the snowmobiles could not follow. Not long after the DOL agents left with a sheriff
and a U.S. forest service official who were also at the scene.

Video Footage Available upon Request. Scanned still photos available from our website,
www.wildrockies.org/buffalo